Thursday, 13 March 2014

Quinoa Salad

I started a few, for want of a better world 'resolutions' this year. Nothing too fancy - drink more water, no chocolate before 12noon, 2 chocolate free days a week (yes, I love chocolate!!), eat lunch every day (I used to skip lunch most days and then binge on whole bars of chocolate in the afternoon). These might sound easy but I was wanting something achievable so I'd stick to it. So far so good. For lunch I've been taking salads from home and this one has become a firm favourite. Apologies for the poor quality photo, it's from my phone.1 butternut pumpkin, cubedOlive oilMixed dried herbs (oregano, thyme and rosemary)1 teaspoon PaprikaSalt1 cup of quinoa1 lemonA handful of coriander, chopped1 head of broccoli, chopped into segments1/3 of a cup of pine nuts, toasted12 cherry tomatoes, halvedPreheat the oven to 190ºC. Place the pumpkin on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil, dried herbs, salt and paprika. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and soft.While the pumpkin is roasting, make the quinoa. Add quinoa to 2 cups of boiling water, the juice of one lemon, some dried herbs and salt and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add coriander and broccoli and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer quinoa to a serving bowl, stir through the pumpkin, pine nuts and cherry tomatoes. Squeeze on a little extra lemon and serve.